Sterling silver is an alloy of silver containing 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% other metals, usually copper.
Although you can't halt tarnishing, you can slow it down by properly caring for and storing your jewellery. When not wearing it, keep it in an airtight bag or container. Ensure it's completely dry before storing to prevent moisture from reacting with the metal.
Note that moisture from swimming, bathing, perspiration, and from your fingerprints all can start the tarnishing process. Additionally, beauty products such as perfume, body lotion, hairspray and hand cream can all cause your jewellery to tarnish. To avoid this, we recommend putting your jewellery on last when getting dressed.
What can you do if your jewellery has already started to tarnish?
Sterling silver will become duller and tarnish with time. Try these steps to remove tarnish and give your silver jewellery a new lease of life.
- Use a lint free soft cloth to remove dust
- Clean with warm soapy water and if required use a soft toothbrush to get into hard-to-reach places
- Dry your item thoroughly
- Use a polishing cloth to polish.
If all else fails, have them as keepsakes, or we can recycle the silver to make a new piece for you contact us to discuss.